Married in a Daze - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

After walking around for a bit, Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun returned to their apartment together. However, both remained silent, not uttering a single word. Fu Cheng and Ding Yichuan, not far away, watched with envy. "So nice," they murmured.

Wang Zi nudged Fu Cheng's arm. "Look at you, green with envy. If you think it's so good, why don't you go find yourself a wife to dote on you?"

Fu Cheng tilted her head to look at him. "Having seen Teacher Lu and Zhenzhen, do you really think my eyes could still tolerate any other common rouge and powder?"

Ding Yichuan and Wang Zi exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter. Annoyed, Fu Cheng followed behind them, pummeling their backs. Ding Yichuan ran while laughing. "Hey, hey, hey, Fu Cheng! A person's value lies in self-awareness! If you want to find someone like Teacher Lu and Zhenzhen, you need to take a good look at yourself first!"

Wang Zi chimed in immediately. "Yeah, I think even common rouge and powder would be wasted on you!"

After he finished speaking, Fu Cheng almost grabbed a stick to chase after the two of them, her pretty face flushed red with anger. Under the streetlight, she looked particularly adorable.

Qin Zhenzhen heard the laughter and commotion outside. She walked to the window and looked out, seeing three young people chasing and playing around. A hint of envy suddenly appeared in her eyes.

The friends she had before she became famous had almost stopped contacting her due to her busy schedule. After becoming famous, unless they were in the same crew and could spend day and night together, it was difficult to maintain other friendships.

And film crews changed every three or four months. So, over time, she truly didn't have many close friends.

Qin Zhenzhen withdrew her envious gaze and drew the curtains. She walked to the bed, thought for a moment, and still opened her phone. She pulled up several of Director Zheng Shaoyuan's films to watch.

Time gently ticked by, the moon climbed the treetops. The sounds outside gradually faded at some point until there were none, as if the whole world had fallen into silence.

Only Qin Zhenzhen's room was still filled with sound.

She watched two films, her eyes nearly becoming slits. Seeing that it was almost two o'clock, she decided to give up on the remaining movies and chose to sleep instead.

Her head had just touched the pillow when she fell asleep.

Separated by only a single wall, Lu Ruyun tossed and turned, finding it difficult to sleep.

Qin Zhenzhen's demeanor from earlier kept replaying before her eyes—cold, distant, as if deliberately drawing a clear line between them. This version of her had appeared frequently lately. She had initially thought Qin Zhenzhen was angry, but now that didn't seem right.

That reaction didn't seem like anger; it was more like—she didn't want to have too much contact with her.

Lu Ruyun rested her hand on her forehead, looking at the crystal chandelier above. The dazzling light was somewhat piercing, like someone's bright eyes, so bright she couldn't bear to look away.

She stared at the crystal light for a long while before finally pursing her lips and turning it off. Surrounded by darkness, she tried to close her eyes. Suddenly, a sound came from the next room. Her eyes snapped open, and familiar footsteps began echoing in her ears again.

Tap—tap—tap—.

Lu Ruyun reached out to pull the bedside lamp's cord but missed. Half her body tilted and fell off the bed with a thud. In the darkness, her face was as pale as paper. Gritting her teeth, she tried to turn on the light, but her hand retracted upon touching the switch as if pricked by needles.

The footsteps in her ears grew heavier. She desperately covered her ears with both hands, squeezed her eyes shut, leaned against the side of the bed, and bit her lips so hard a faint metallic taste of blood appeared in her throat.

Her emotions were on the verge of collapse. Her whole body curled into a ball, tilting to the side and bumping into the bedside table. The table wobbled, and a medicine bottle fell off, rolling to Lu Ruyun's feet.

Lu Ruyun looked down for a moment, her eyes momentarily vacant. Recognizing what it was, her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the medicine bottle, clutched it in her palm, poured out one pill, and swallowed it dry.

Her emotions gradually stabilized. She took several deep breaths before finally turning on the bedside lamp and slowly climbing back into bed, pulling the covers over herself.

A fine layer of sweat covered her body, making her feel sticky with the slightest movement. Yet, she still wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, staying that way until dawn.

The next day was a brilliantly sunny one. Having slept late the previous night, Qin Zhenzhen only opened her eyes groggily when the alarm went off. She checked the time; they had to assemble in just one hour.

In the WeChat group on her phone, people had already started their early morning chat. Qin Zhenzhen felt a bit envious of their energy. So lively.

She lazily got up, swaying a little as she walked out of the room. As she was about to enter the bathroom, she frowned, sensing something was off.

Qin Zhenzhen turned to look toward the kitchen and realized what was wrong—Lu Ruyun was not in the apartment.

Had she not gotten up yet?

Or had she gone out?

Qin Zhenzhen hesitated at the bathroom door for a moment before shaking her head and entering. After washing up, she walked to the kitchen and saw that the pots, pans, and stove were exactly as they were yesterday.

Still not up?

Qin Zhenzhen frowned slightly. She turned on the small pot, added some water, placed a few buns in the steamer basket. She sometimes managed breakfast this way.

After doing this, she checked the time again. Only half an hour left until assembly.

I should go wake her up; it's almost time for assembly.

Thinking this, she quickly walked a few steps to Lu Ruyun's door, hesitated for a second, and then knocked. "Teacher Lu?"

There was no response from inside. Qin Zhenzhen knocked again. "Teacher Lu?"

Still no answer.

Qin Zhenzhen lowered her gaze. Had she gone out?

Just as she was thinking this, the door clicked open. Lu Ruyun stood at the doorway looking normal, wearing the same tracksuit from last night, her long hair slightly disheveled, complexion somewhat pale, eyes with a few bloodshot veins—clearly she hadn't rested well.

Seeing her like this, Qin Zhenzhen took a step back. "It's almost time to assemble."

Lu Ruyun nodded. "Okay."

As soon as she spoke, Qin Zhenzhen's sharp eyes noticed a dark spot on her lower lip. Only after Lu Ruyun entered the bathroom did she realize—that was probably the color of dried blood.

After coming out of the bathroom, Lu Ruyun's complexion looked much better. Her long hair was tied up, she wore light makeup, and lipstick covered the original color. Seeing her acting as if nothing was wrong, Qin Zhenzhen said nonchalantly, "Come have breakfast."

"There's no congee, I just steamed a few buns."

She placed the buns on a plate and handed one to Lu Ruyun. The bun skin was white and soft, just taken out of the pot, still steaming. Lu Ruyun looked up at Qin Zhenzhen through the misty steam, unable to see the expression on the person before her clearly.

"Thank you."

Qin Zhenzhen took a bite of her bun. "You're welcome."

Lu Ruyun sat down on the other side of the table, holding the bun. "But in the future, you can wake me up in the morning. I'll make breakfast for you."

After saying this, her eyes fixed on Qin Zhenzhen. Seeing her stunned expression and surprised gaze, Lu Ruyun lowered her eyes. "What's wrong? Haven't you thought about the future?"

Qin Zhenzhen opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Seeing this, Lu Ruyun continued, "Zhenzhen, you towards me..."

Before she could finish her question, a series of knocks sounded at the door. Lu Ruyun and Qin Zhenzhen exchanged a glance, both getting up and walking to the door. They saw Fu Cheng, already beaming like a flower early in the morning.

"Teacher Lu, Zhenzhen, good morning!"

Qin Zhenzhen gave a slight smile. "Morning."

Fu Cheng was holding a large bowl. She said playfully, "Today's the last day. I'm going to miss you all, so I made some food for you as breakfast this morning. Have you eaten yet?"

Qin Zhenzhen hid the bun in her hand behind her back. "Not yet."

Fu Cheng's smile widened. "Perfect! Want to eat together?"

Lu Ruyun stepped aside slightly. "Come in."

Her posture was elegant, a faint smile on her face. Fu Cheng entered their apartment, holding the bowl and grinning.

Qin Zhenzhen followed her inside. As Fu Cheng opened the bowl, a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out—dumplings.

Fu Cheng explained, "Made fresh. I even asked Teacher Shen to buy the dumpling wrappers from outside last night. Zhenzhen, Teacher Lu, have a taste?"

Qin Zhenzhen went to the kitchen and brought out several pairs of chopsticks, handing a pair to Lu Ruyun. She watched as Lu Ruyun picked up a dumpling and took a bite, her posture so elegant it was as if she were savoring a rare delicacy. Stars practically shone in Fu Cheng's eyes as she rubbed her hands together. "Teacher Lu, is it good?"

Lu Ruyun nodded. "Very delicious."

Fu Cheng laughed happily. "That's great! Zhenzhen, you eat too."

Qin Zhenzhen handed her a pair of chopsticks as well. Half a quarter of an hour later, the large bowl of dumplings had found their way into the three women's stomachs. Seeing they were full, Fu Cheng then pulled a postcard out of her pocket.

"Teacher Lu, could you give me an autograph?"

Qin Zhenzhen laughed. "So you had an ulterior motive!"

Fu Cheng smiled sheepishly. "Actually, it's for my mom. She really loves Teacher Lu's TV dramas. When she found out I might run into Teacher Lu this time, she insisted I get an autograph for her."

Lu Ruyun took the card. "Do you have a pen?"

Fu Cheng froze. "Oh, I forgot! I'll go get you one."

Lu Ruyun smiled. "No need, in my room..."

She then smiled at Qin Zhenzhen. "Zhenzhen, go get one from the room where we change clothes. It's in my suitcase."

Qin Zhenzhen nodded and walked towards Lu Ruyun's room. Lu Ruyun's suitcase wasn't very big, placed behind the bed. She walked over, opened it, and saw a pen right on top, along with a notebook, a diary-like one.

She keeps a diary? Qin Zhenzhen found it amusing.

She picked up the pen and was about to leave when, as she closed the suitcase, she caught a glimpse of something white. She frowned and looked closer. It was a small medicine bottle.

The bottle's label was blank. Something should have been pasted on the surface, but it had been torn off. Her gaze remained fixed on the medicine bottle for a long time, not snapping back to reality.

"Zhenzhen?"

A voice sounded from outside the door. Qin Zhenzhen walked out with the pen, handing it to Lu Ruyun with a bit of a complaint. "Hiding it there, it's no wonder I couldn't find it easily."

Fu Cheng laughed. "Teacher Lu likes to hide things too?"

Lu Ruyun's hand holding the pen paused slightly. The pen tip landed on the postcard, and soon a signature was written on it.

Fu Cheng smiled, her dimples deep, extremely happy. Holding the postcard like a treasure, she waved to Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun. "Then I'll head off first! See you at the assembly!"

Qin Zhenzhen waved back at her.

The two of them returned to the apartment, tidied up briefly, and went out for the assembly.

The last day of program recording: treasure hunt in the morning, special interview in the afternoon. The interview segments would usually be interspersed at the beginning of various game segments or during game preparation when aired. Qin Zhenzhen was quite familiar with interviews.

Live broadcasts, improvisation. Sometimes the host would deliberately ask questions not on the script. Not only could Qin Zhenzhen answer fluently, but she could also maintain elegant speech.

In this regard, she was an old hand.

But for the morning treasure hunt game, she looked up at the blazing sun overhead and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Probably going to lose a layer of skin from sunburn.

Not far away, Fu Cheng was applying sunscreen. Even Ding Yichuan and Wang Zi had applied some. Hu Jing also had a bottle on him. He walked over to Qin Zhenzhen. "Zhenzhen, want some sunscreen?"

Qin Zhenzhen was amused by his question. Hu Jing scratched his head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it just doesn't seem to fit your image."

A big guy like him coming over to ask if she wanted sunscreen felt rather odd no matter how she thought about it. Qin Zhenzhen looked at Hu Jing, her eyes crinkling with laughter. Lu Ruyun, standing beside her, glanced at her and Hu Jing before withdrawing her gaze.

Shen Haitang soon arrived beside the group, holding cards in her hand, and began explaining the game rules.

Treasure Hunt: Based on the first clue given by the program team, search for other clues within the designated area. For example, if the base clue was 'tree,' then the person had to search on or around trees for clues. The person who found a clue could choose to continue searching alone. However, if there was only one clue, the treasure couldn't be found. At that point, cooperation with others was needed.

And the key point was here. When cooperating with others, you could share your clue to obtain theirs. And this clue you shared could be true or false.

Time limit: three hours. In the end, the treasure could only belong to one person.

So, nominally, this was a team cooperation game, but it ultimately had to be completed individually.

Qin Zhenzhen looked at the card handed to her by a staff member: Grass.

Grass.

What kind of clue was this?

Qin Zhenzhen was a bit baffled by this card. Then she saw Fu Cheng looking equally confused. "What? Leaf? How am I supposed to find that?"

"You got it easy. Look at mine—sky?"

Everyone who received their cards started chattering and discussing. Shen Haitang checked the time and shouted, "Countdown—begin!"

Qin Zhenzhen only saw several figures dart out from beside her. The corner of her mouth twitched. So much for 'not knowing how to find it.'

Looking at the single word 'grass' on her card, she walked to a large grassy area on the base. The sun was scorching, feeling like it could burn a layer of skin off. Qin Zhenzhen's face was covered in fine sweat as she lowered her head, thinking seriously.

Grass.

What kind of clue could this be?

Could it be characters formed by piled grass? She looked at the lawn in front of her—completely open, nothing there. She searched the grassy area for a long time before finally plopping down on the small step by the lawn, her eyes full of lush, vibrant greenery.

Vibrant greenery!

Green!

Could it be something green?

Qin Zhenzhen felt slightly pleased. She looked down and saw a very small arrow spray-painted in green paint on the ground, right at the edge of the lawn. If you didn't look carefully, it was really hard to spot. Qin Zhenzhen followed the small arrow all the way forward and saw a small box at the arrow's end.

She picked up the small box and smiled, then opened it. A camera not far away was filming this direction. After opening the box and seeing the note inside, she tucked the note into the card's pocket layer.

Soon, the first round of regrouping began. Everyone shared their findings. Fu Cheng and Hu Jing shook their heads. "Found nothing."

Ding Yichuan sighed. "I found a piece of paper. It said 'Crying.'"

Crying?

Everyone looked at Ding Yichuan with surprised eyes, doubting the truth of his message.

Of course, they also doubted whether he actually had a clue at all.

Wang Zi was the first to speak. "Crying? Impossible."

Ding Yichuan turned to look at him. "Why impossible?"

Wang Zi said firmly, "Because I got a clue."

"It's a card, definitely not some slip of paper."

Ding Yichuan laughed. "Are you kidding me? Maybe they gave you a card, but gave me a slip of paper?"

Wang Zi held up his card. "But my card says that all clues for participants in the game are distributed in card form."

Everyone immediately wanted to check if that sentence was really there. Wang Zi covered his card. "Forget it, listen if you want. I don't believe it anyway."

Fu Cheng nudged Wang Zi's arm. "So what's your clue?"

Wang Zi carefully revealed a corner of his card. "The card says: Labor."

Labor?

Another inexplicable hint?

Qin Zhenzhen instinctively looked at Lu Ruyun, who was watching the two men talk with a calm expression. Suspicious glances swept between Wang Zi and Ding Yichuan; no one knew whom to believe.

No one spoke for a long time. Suddenly, Hu Jing asked, "What about Teacher Lu? Did Teacher Lu get a clue?"

Lu Ruyun shook her head. "No."

Everyone sighed. Qin Zhenzhen pursed her lips. "I have one too."

As soon as she spoke, everyone's eyes turned to her. "My clue is: Go Right."

Fu Cheng looked at her for a moment before asking, "Zhenzhen, is yours a card or a slip of paper?"

Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. "Can't say."

Can't say.

Damn, that made it difficult.

Now there were six people, three clues: one 'Crying,' another 'Labor' (plus the statement about cards not counting—if cards don't count, then the first hint is wrong), and Qin Zhenzhen's 'Go Right.' The six of them looked at each other, all stuck.

After two minutes, Hu Jing said, "I believe Zhenzhen."

With that, he started walking to the right. Once he moved, the others also sprang into action. Wang Zi and Ding Yichuan, of course, still believed their own clues—at least pretended to—and each headed in different directions. Fu Cheng, looking a bit lost, watched the scattering group and sighed, shouting, "Wait for me!"

Only Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun remained.

Lu Ruyun looked at Qin Zhenzhen, whose pretty face under the blazing sun was flushed and dotted with tiny beads of sweat. Seeing no one else around, Qin Zhenzhen said to Lu Ruyun, "I think Wang Zi's message is fake."

"Ding Yichuan's is real."

Lu Ruyun lowered her gaze for a moment. "Yours is a slip of paper too?"

Qin Zhenzhen nodded. Hers was indeed a slip of paper, and it indeed said 'Go Right.' But after Wang Zi and Ding Yichuan's clues, only Hu Jing believed her.

Lu Ruyun looked at her. "Let's go."

Qin Zhenzhen followed behind Lu Ruyun, and the two of them went right.

The area to the right was quite large: a sports field, various rooms housing sports equipment, a row of trees planted in front of the rooms, and at the end of the green trees, a small fountain-shaped pool (though the fountain wasn't on, and the pool was dry under the sun). Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun walked along this path twice, reached the end, came back, and found nothing. Ding Yichuan and Wang Zi also came over from the other side separately; it seemed they hadn't found clues either.

Hu Jing was searching inside the rooms along this path.

After walking the path a third time, Lu Ruyun turned to Qin Zhenzhen. "What was Ding Yichuan's hint again?"

Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment. "Crying."

Lu Ruyun frowned.

Ding Yichuan's 'Crying.'

Wang Zi's 'Labor.'

Plus Qin Zhenzhen's 'Go Right.'

Clues that had absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Sports... could it refer to sports equipment?

Lu Ruyun's gaze turned to Hu Jing, who was searching for clues inside a nearby room, her brows knitting tighter. Qin Zhenzhen, however, fixed her eyes on the fountain at the end.

Crying.

Could it refer to... fountain water?

Her expression turned serious. She quickly looked at Lu Ruyun. "Let's go."

The two of them stood together in the fountain pool. Wang Zi walked over from not far away. "Teacher Lu, found anything?"

Lu Ruyun shook her head. "Not yet."

Ding Yichuan shielded his head with his hand. "Let's keep at it."

With that, he and Hu Jing headed toward the nearby trees. Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun examined the pool. The pool's edge had eight statues, each with its mouth pointed toward a central, short, round pillar. The pillar spread out from top to bottom, like a skirt.

Thinking, Qin Zhenzhen prepared to climb onto the pillar. Lu Ruyun grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Checking if it's on top."

With that, she stepped onto the edge of the short pillar. The day was hot, and the pillar's surface was scorching from the sun. She hissed as her hand touched it. Lu Ruyun quickly looked up. "What's wrong?"

Qin Zhenzhen looked down and smiled. "It's nothing."

Her eyes scanned the top for a long while but saw nothing.

Just as she was about to climb down, Lu Ruyun reached out a hand to her. Qin Zhenzhen looked down at her hand and didn't move. Lu Ruyun simply grabbed her hand and pulled her down directly. Qin Zhenzhen fell, her face pale with fright, her body leaning forward, and ended up crashing right into Lu Ruyun!

Lu Ruyun caught her by the waist with both hands. Qin Zhenzhen instinctively stood on her tiptoes, the curves of her chest brushing against Lu Ruyun's. Both their faces flushed slightly.

A whistle sounded from not far away. Qin Zhenzhen hurriedly pushed Lu Ruyun away.

Lu Ruyun's expression remained normal. "I just thought of another possibility."

Qin Zhenzhen straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair, pretending to be nonchalant. "What possibility?"

Lu Ruyun turned to look at the statues on all four sides. "Wang Zi's clue might also be correct."

Qin Zhenzhen looked at her, surprised. "What?"

Lu Ruyun stepped out of the pool, standing right in the middle outside. Her voice was light. "Wang Zi's information is 'Labor.'"

"Could it be Labor Day?"

Qin Zhenzhen understood instantly.

Labor Day.

May 1st!

She quickly ran to the fifth statue, found a slip of paper in a small crevice, her earlier embarrassment completely gone. She handed the paper to Lu Ruyun. "You look at it."

Lu Ruyun looked at her, puzzled. "Why?"

Qin Zhenzhen's expression was calm. "You figured it out. To be fair, you take it."

Lu Ruyun took the slip of paper Qin Zhenzhen handed her, opened it, and glanced—it was a string of numbers.

This bout of searching had taken over half an hour. Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun, holding the slip, returned to the spot where everyone had gathered earlier. They saw the other four sitting there with worried frowns.

Qin Zhenzhen asked, "What's wrong?"

"Did you find any clues?"

Hu Jing nodded. "Found two."

"I have one, and Fu Cheng has one."

Qin Zhenzhen quickly glanced at Lu Ruyun but didn't reply.

Fu Cheng said, "But both of ours are just strings of numbers. We have no idea what they mean."

She then recited four numbers, and Hu Jing recited another four.

After they finished, Wang Zi frowned. "So what's the relationship between these numbers?"

Everyone sat together and wrote the just-recited numbers on paper. Qin Zhenzhen stared at these numbers. No matter how she combined them, it felt wrong. Could they be coordinates?

But what kind of coordinates were these? Even if they were, they didn't have the equipment for it.

Everyone fell silent. Lu Ruyun sat beside Hu Jing and suddenly asked, "Hu Jing, what was the first clue you got for the treasure hunt?"

Hu Jing was taken aback for a moment before replying, "It was 'Water.'"

Lu Ruyun nodded and extended her hand. "Mind if I take a look?"

Everyone was puzzled by her request. Hu Jing didn't understand either but obediently handed his first card to Lu Ruyun.

The first card, as the initial resource, could be shared. So no one thought it strange. They even felt relieved seeing the word 'Water' on Hu Jing's card—at least he wasn't lying.

Lu Ruyun smiled and returned the card to Hu Jing. "Thank you."

Hu Jing scratched his head. "No need to be polite, Teacher Lu."

Qin Zhenzhen had been watching the interaction between the two the entire time, silently lowering her eyelashes.

After a while, Fu Cheng asked, "Teacher Lu, did you find anything just now?"

Lu Ruyun was about to speak when Qin Zhenzhen said, "No."

"We didn't find anything just now."

She let out a dejected sigh. "Let's keep going!"

After saying this, Qin Zhenzhen stood up. Lu Ruyun immediately followed suit. Fu Cheng slumped in her chair. "But I don't know how to proceed. I have no idea what these two strings of numbers mean."

Her lost expression made Qin Zhenzhen smile lightly. "Then keep searching. There must be other clues."

A camera not far away was filming this direction. Comforted by Qin Zhenzhen's words, Fu Cheng stood up. "Let's keep going!"

This time, Ding Yichuan and Wang Zi teamed up. Fu Cheng and Hu Jing, who already had clues, could rest for a bit. The other four went out to continue the search.

After walking out, Lu Ruyun asked, "Why didn't you tell them?"

Qin Zhenzhen turned to look at her. "Didn't you see it too?"

"Hu Jing was lying."

"Besides, I don't know if Fu Cheng is lying either. No need to take the risk."

A hint of a smile appeared in Lu Ruyun's eyes. "But for this game, we can't complete it by ourselves alone."

Qin Zhenzhen raised the card in her hand. "Then we'll just keep looking for clues."

Unfortunately, the clues that could be provided were limited. Searching like looking for a needle in a haystack was indeed difficult. Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun searched for another ten minutes or so before simply sitting down under a tree. Lu Ruyun took out the slip of paper. Remembering Fu Cheng's words, she wrote Fu Cheng's numbers in the blank space next to her own numbers.

Perfect fit, just right.

It seemed Fu Cheng might have been telling the truth.

Qin Zhenzhen watched her take a pen out of her pocket. "You carry this with you too."

Lu Ruyun nodded. "Habit."

Qin Zhenzhen thought of the medicine bottle she saw when fetching the pen. She pursed her lips and didn't respond.

"Any ideas?"

Lu Ruyun handed the filled-out slip to Qin Zhenzhen. They were sitting close together. Dazzling sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling on them, adding a faint halo.

Qin Zhenzhen stared at the slip of paper in her hand for a long while before shaking her head. "Do you think it could be something like coordinates? Maybe we should go find a positioning device in one of the rooms to try?"

"Or some kind of password?"

"But that doesn't make sense either. What password would be this long?"

Qin Zhenzhen thought and thought, finally letting out a sigh, her frown still deep. Lu Ruyun also couldn't figure it out. While they were still discussing, Ding Yichuan's voice called out from not far away. "Teacher Lu! Zhenzhen!"

Lu Ruyun and Qin Zhenzhen turned to look and saw him poking his head out of a room. "Over here!"

The two exchanged a glance, got up, and went to the room.

The room contained quite a lot of sports equipment. Near the door was a computer with many notebooks beside it, probably for inventory checks. After walking in, Qin Zhenzhen asked, "What's up? Did you find a clue?"

Ding Yichuan's voice was stifled with laughter. "No, just wanted to ask you for a little help."

Qin Zhenzhen frowned as Ding Yichuan stepped aside, revealing Wang Zi behind him standing next to a machine, smiling and waving at them. "Hi."

Qin Zhenzhen: ...

Hi, my foot. She had no idea how Wang Zi had managed to get his leg stuck in there!

She pulled at the machine with all her might, using every ounce of strength, and finally got it to move. Wang Zi, feeling like he'd been reborn, was tearfully grateful. "Thank you, thank you."

Lu Ruyun gave a light, elegant smile. "Be more careful next time."

Her expression was gentle and refined, her demeanor graceful, with just the right smile on her face. Wang Zi nodded repeatedly. "Definitely, definitely."

Ding Yichuan joked with Wang Zi a couple of times, and then the two of them went out one after the other. Qin Zhenzhen followed behind Lu Ruyun. Her gaze fell on the computer keyboard not far away. Suddenly thinking of something, she grabbed Lu Ruyun's arm.

The empty room now contained only Lu Ruyun and herself.

Lu Ruyun, having her arm grabbed, turned around and almost met her eye to eye. For some reason, her face flushed slightly, and she asked somewhat awkwardly, "What's wrong?"

Qin Zhenzhen pointed at the keyboard. "The numbers from earlier."

Lu Ruyun's eyes lit up. She walked to the keyboard, took out the slip of paper from her pocket, matched the letters corresponding to the numbers, and noted them down with her pen. The two quickly left the room.

The treasure hunt had a total time limit of three hours; if time ran out, it was a complete failure. It had already been two hours since they found the third clue. After leaving the room, the two found a secluded spot and tried to match the letters they had just copied.

They tried matching several times without success.

Lu Ruyun handed the slip to Qin Zhenzhen.

Qin Zhenzhen held it in her hand, then seemed to think of something. She circled and drew on the slip with the pen. Not long after, Lu Ruyun saw Qin Zhenzhen hand her a slip of paper.

There was a sentence on it.

"You know how to...?"

Qin Zhenzhen turned to look at her. "Played a similar game back in school."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have thought of matching the numbers to keyboard letters so quickly. Lu Ruyun nodded and handed the slip back to Qin Zhenzhen. "You go get it."

Qin Zhenzhen frowned. "You go."

She then added, "Consider it my thanks for last night."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ruyun's face darkened, her gaze turning cold. Qin Zhenzhen, watching the seconds tick by, urged, "Hurry up and go!"

What if it wasn't the treasure but another clue? Then they'd have to keep searching. Staying here now was just a waste of time.

Thinking this, she gave Lu Ruyun a little push.

Lu Ruyun didn't move. Her lips parted slightly, but before any sound came out, someone called out, "Zhenzhen."

Qin Zhenzhen turned to look—it was Hu Jing.

She frowned slightly at Hu Jing. He smiled and said, "I wanted to ask you a question."

Qin Zhenzhen glanced at Lu Ruyun, urging her with her eyes to go quickly, then turned and walked towards Hu Jing.

As soon as she reached Hu Jing's side, he said in a low voice, "The treasure is under the tree where we gathered earlier. Go get it quickly."

Qin Zhenzhen looked at Hu Jing in surprise. "How did you..."

Hu Jing looked a bit shy. "I lied earlier. The slip I got wasn't that one; it was another. I matched the numbers with Fu Cheng's and found out that's what it said."

"Zhenzhen, go check quickly, see if it's over there."

Qin Zhenzhen opened her mouth, instinctively looking at Lu Ruyun, who was still watching them. She urged with her eyes: Go!

Lu Ruyun remained unmoved.

Qin Zhenzhen sighed. "Hu Jing, isn't that against the rules?"

Hu Jing shook his head. "Of course not. Our clues are meant to be shared anyway."

Qin Zhenzhen's mind was a bit chaotic. She said to Hu Jing, "You go get the treasure."

Hu Jing was stunned. "Zhenzhen?"

Qin Zhenzhen turned around, leaving behind one sentence. "Hurry up and go."

After speaking to Hu Jing, she walked back to Lu Ruyun's side. Neither spoke. Hu Jing gave them a deep look before finally choosing to walk towards the gathering spot.

Qin Zhenzhen shrugged. "Well, your treasure has been dug up by someone else."

Lu Ruyun looked at her. The coldness that had just settled on her face showed signs of softening, her gaze gaining much more warmth. Sunlight danced on Qin Zhenzhen's body. Suddenly, Lu Ruyun took her hand, pursed her lips, and said, "No."

"My treasure is still right here."

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